3 days Ago By Claire Siracusa
The Western Bulldogs’ winless season has gone from bad to worse as the club announced star vice captain Ellie Blackburn would miss the rest of their campaign with a serious foot injury. The 29-year-old suffered “a disruption to the mid-foot ligament in her left foot” during the final minute of the loss to West Coast on Thursday night, and needs surgery, meaning she won’t play again this year. Ellie Blackburn has been ruled out for the rest of the season.
Credit: AFL Photos “We’re all devastated for Ellie, who has been one of our most durable and reliable players and was set for another impactful campaign,” the Bulldogs’ general manager of women’s football, Patrice Berthold, said. “After conducting a thorough review of available options, our medical staff have deemed surgery as the best course of action to facilitate her return to play in 2025. Loading “We’ll wrap our arms around Ellie and provide her with as much support as she needs throughout this entire process to ensure she can be at her best with us next year.
” The Bulldogs have already reached record lows in their three losses this season, failing to register a goal against Port Adelaide at the MCG in the second week – eclipsing their own previous worst competition score of one goal three behinds, set in week one against the Giants in a 63-point thrashing. The Dogs have a hard run now, meaning a finals berth is all but out of the question given each team plays 11 games in the home-and-away season. More to come.
Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter . Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later.
License this article AFL 2024 Western Bulldogs AFL injury ward AFLW Claire Siracusa is a desk editor in The Age sport department. Connect via email . Most Viewed in Sport Loading.
